Feds announce charges against 2 NY assemblymen

For the second time in a week, a political corruption scandal has resulted in the arrest of a New York state politician, leading a prosecutor to say Thursday that political corruption in the state “is indeed rampant” and people should be angry about it.

Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, a Democrat, was arrested in a bribery investigation that also led another state assemblyman charged with crimes to cooperate with the understanding that he would resign his position with the arrests of Stevenson and four businessmen. Stevenson and the others were charged in part with conspiring to pass a bill in the state legislature to protect a new Bronx adult center from competitors for three years.

The identity of the second assemblyman was not in court papers, but Assemblyman Nelson Castro, another Bronx Democrat, told Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that he is resigning, spokesman Michael Whyland said. Silver called for the resignation of Stevenson, saying the charges he faced would be a “clear violation of the public trust and cannot be tolerated.” Court papers filed in federal court in Manhattan also revealed that a cooperating witness in the case had once been an Assembly candidate.

The arrests came two days after federal authorities arrested state Sen. Malcolm Smith in an alleged plot to bribe his way into the New York City mayor’s race. Smith, released on bail, said he’ll be vindicated. Several other politicians also were charged in that case.

At a news conference Thursday, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara highlighted some of Stevenson’s quotes heard by investigators, including one in which the assemblyman allegedly said “if half of the people up here in Albany was ever caught for what they do … they … would probably be in (jail).”

The prosecutor who two days earlier said corruption in New York politics “seems downright pervasive” said Thursday that “it becomes more and more difficult to avoid the sad conclusion that political corruption in New York is indeed rampant and that a show-me-the-money culture in Albany is alive and well.”

Bharara added: “The people of New York should be more than just disappointed. They should be angry. … When it is more likely for a New York state senator to be arrested by the authorities than to be defeated at the polls, they should be angry. And they also should ask some pointed questions: Given the allegations in today’s case, how many other pending bills were born of bribery? And worse, how many passed bills were born of bribery?”

It was not immediately clear who would represent the 46-year-old Stevenson at a court appearance Thursday on bribery, conspiracy and other charges.

In court papers, the government said Stevenson accepted more than $22,000 in bribes in exchange for drafting, proposing and agreeing to enact legislation to aid his co-defendants’ businesses, including an adult day care center in the Bronx, the “Westchester Avenue Center,” which opened a month ago. In return for bribes, the government said Stevenson agreed to propose legislation that would ban new adult centers from opening for three years.

The government said it had audio and videotaped conversations between the defendants, including a videotape of Stevenson accepting an envelope containing $10,000 in cash last September outside a streak house after the assemblyman had balked at receiving the money inside the restaurant because he feared it would be captured by the business’s video surveillance system.

According to court papers, law enforcement officers videotaped Stevenson stuffing the envelope into his front pants pocket and covering the pocket with the bottom of his shirt.

Besides the steak house, Bharara said cash was also exchanged at the cooperating witness’ car and in the bathroom of an Albany hotel.

“Assemblyman Stevenson was only too happy to oblige for the right price,” Bharara said. “He basically said, ‘Show me the money.’ … And the money was shown over and over and over again.”